Fires in the Mirror NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (103)
See it if you want to see the most superb acting -- how does he do this play night after night -- hear great writing, see great staging. This is it.
Don't see it if you are under the age of 10, a racist or not very intelligent, then you won't care if you have missed an extraordinary experience. Read more
See it if One man show who performs variety of characters to discuss race, and set the context by observers of the Crown Heights riots
Don't see it if if you are tired of race as a theme for plays or if you prefer musicals
See it if you did (it closed). Awesome. Virtuoso acting by Mr. Washington. Somehow maybe even better than the original, which I saw, with Ms. Smith.
Don't see it if you didn't. It's closed. What a tour de force you missed!
See it if you want to see a talented actor keep this classic, important material alive and relevant.
Don't see it if you don't want to think about identity or violence.
See it if you are open to exploring multiple views of a particular series of incidents. Also, if you're a fan of Anna Deavere Smith.
Don't see it if You don't enjoy plays with one actor impersonating many people. Also, you can't sit still for one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
See it if Brilliant mirrored juxtaposition of the fear, pain, anger and (self) righteousness arising from a clash between minorities over two deaths.
Don't see it if This one-man show is very heavy, but the one-man presentation is flawless.
See it if You want to hear all sides of a disturbing time in NYC.
Don't see it if You aren’t interested in human interaction.
See it if This revival transcends the incident in question and powerfully addresses the causes & effects of racial tribalism. It is a brilliant work.
Don't see it if You just want to be entertained and not think or process complex societal themes that sadly are more timely than ever. Read more
Critic Reviews (11)
CRITIC’S PICK "Reflections That Sear in a Reborn ‘Fires in the Mirror’: The Signature Theater revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s drama about the Crown Heights race riots confirms this play’s status as an enduring work of art."
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4/5 Stars "A theatrical time capsule that feels eerily timely...An appropriately fiery revival...While Washington doesn’t possess Smith’s uncanny abilities as a mimic, he imbues each person with specificity, authenticity and soul...A stirring account of an urgent work of art."
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"Fires in the Mirror Exposes Segregated New York City: Anna Deavere Smith's theatrical documentary returns nearly three decades after the original incidents that inspired it."
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"[Washington] is an accomplished mimic…but he digs deeper, finding something of each person's essence, in a coolly appraising look, a conspiratorial smile, or a fierce burst of anger. His is not a showy, distracting display of technique, but a diligent excavation of souls."
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"As evident by the Signature Theatre's current production starring Michael Benjamin Washington, the play offers an ominously accurate reflection of the troubled times in which we now live."
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5/5 Stars "A Hot-Button Show Whose Glow Hasn't Dimmed: Anna Deavere Smith's one-person play still burns bright with star Michael Benjamin Washington and a timely-as-ever theme"
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"While the production is well executed… it presents dialogue as an end in itself and offers no connection between the real disparities affecting the neighborhood's Black and Jewish residents…Still, it is both evocative and compelling, thanks in large part to Michael Benjamin Washington."
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"The piece is well produced, delivering the detailed goods with grace and determination, but not much emotionality. Washington doesn't hold the stage with the transformative weight of Smith, but that's a tall order, as she is at the heart of this emotional undertaking."
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